Hi Tara, I moved to a small bio-dynamic farm just six weeks ago, where I have been milking the Ladies morning and evening. This is the first time I have ever milked cows. They are only six :) My husband and I are vegetable farmers and are partnering with two other dairy and meat farmers to create a future for this gem a farm, that nourishes so many, with so much care. I find many overlaps in the philosophies of the animal husbandry here with that of which I have been able to piece together of yours. In fact, you are a huge reason as to why we made this decision to come here, and a really big influence for me, that I, as a city kid from Southern Ontario, could dream of becoming a Bovine friend (and potential worshiper...). I want to thank you for taking the time to letting us, your readers, in on the sacred and unseen sides of your life. I have felt your deep gratitude for your animals, land, and even existence, since the first instagram post I read from you many years ago...and now that I have cows of my own, your posts have even more meaning. I drink up every one of your reverent words. I find myself craving for myself the same deep meaning and reverence that I read in and between your lines. This little message to you is really just a deep, deep thank you note. I wish I could read a whole book of your insights; they are truly so inspiring for me. I look forward to what you will share next... much love to you from the Black Forest in Germany, xo Haleigh
Hi Haleigh, what a beautiful love letter you have given me. It means so much for me to have received this, to know that even if little bits of what I share bring more people home to the land, or even encourages connection to other farmers and nature, is so very meaningful for me. I am cheering you on from here and sending you and your land and your animals all much love. Big hugs to you, Tara
I feasted on this story this morning. And I so look forward to part 2 with the butter. I am so lucky because I can buy beautiful raw butter at a local co-op here in mid-coast Maine. Since I can’t eat cheese (fermented, aged, histamine intolerance), I will often eat the raw butter with a seed cracker. Yum! Nourishing!
I used to make "butter tea" for my girls when they were young. It was just raw milk gently heated with butter, cardamom, cinnamon sticks, and vanilla bean in it. I would add a little maple syrup or honey. So luscious. And I think butter on a seed cracker is one of life's great joys. :)
Luscious milk, yes. I will try that with my grandchildren when they visit again. I was thinking this morning of the picture of the cream on top of your milk jar. It is an insane amount of cream! So, so lovely. Industry “improvements” on what was working have not been good for us. Tinkering with wheat is another example.
So beautifully written!! As if I would be there right with you. You mention Ursula walking from the hill to the valleys and to the forest and such. Do you just let them roam over all the fields or do you implement rotational grazing? If so, how big are your fields you allow them to graze on?
They rotationally graze, but in the woods, it's not paddocks that they go in but sections of the woods. The size of the paddocks we build depends on how fast the grasses are growing and the size of the herd. It changes constantly. They are moved everyday. Thank you for the nice compliments :)
Reading this I felt like I was right there beside you and your bovine buddies. You take such beautiful photos too. The brief escape to your part of the world was much needed and appreciated - things are really quite surreal in my neck of the woods. Wishing you and everyone else here a peaceful weekend. x
As I read this, it’s nearly 1 am in Texas. I’m sitting in my rocking chair, with my hand pump expressing milk as my 4 month old babe is asleep and cozy in my bed. Feeling a real kinship to Ursula at the moment. I’ll be returning to bed with a happy heart. Thank you for sharing, Tara.
I agree, Ursula is a real beauty queen! She's lovely. Who did you breed her to? Just curious if you bred her to another Brown Swiss or went a different route. Would also love to hear your thoughts on AI if you ever cared (dared) to share!
No, she was bred to bulls. Let's see, there was a Red Poll, a Galloway, and another Red Poll. We have used AI and I would again depending on our bull situation. There is definitely a difference between a calf that came from the traditional breeding of bull to cow and one from AI, but there are times when we need to bring in AI as well. As an example, we want to breed some Speckled Park into our Red Poll gang. If I buy a quality Speckled Park bull, it's going to be around $4000-5000. I would only use him for one go around and then have to hold while I see if this breeding combination works. Hopefully, we get a nice cross out of there and I can hold the nuts on any special fella to use as a future bull. If it's an abysmal failure, no harm, no fowl. We breed our dairy to beef bulls unless we are in need for a future milk cow in which case we will AI to a purebred dairy breed. With the birth of our twin Jersey heifers, we should be okay there for awhile, but who knows what my whims will dictate tomorrow :)
So beautiful and a story I resonate with as I follow the same routine each morning with my beautiful Guernseys. I am still new to milking (my second season) so it makes me so happy to read the parallels with my way of doing things and yours and to know I am on the right track.
I worry that I am not doing right by my cows, that I don't get enough milk or cream because I am doing things wrong but I try to tell myself that the homesteaders getting gallons and gallons of milk a day are grain feeding surely? I hope you can find some time to answer some questions to calm my mind that I am not doing things wrong...
I am getting 4-5L of milk from one milking a day and I let the calf on after I have finished both sides. I am wondering if I should try something different to get more milk.
How much milk do you get each milking? Do you milk once a day? And lastly, do you only milk the one side (two teats) while the calf has the other side the whole time or do you only do that at the start to get let down happen?
Thank you so much for your wisdom, I am so appreciative of the time you take to share these insights to help others understand a different way of life. Xoxoxo
It all depends. Where is the cow in her lactation cycle? What is her condition like? Does she look full or emaciated? How is she doing? If you milk out first and then put on the calf, you may have a cow that has figured that out and holds back her cream. They can actually do that although I don't know how. If she is further down her lactation cycle and the calf is growing, she may not have much to share.
What we do and when is dependent on where the cow is in her cycle and what's happening with the calf and the pastures. After the first few days, when her milk comes in, we milk twice a day. At that time, when the calf is easily pushed aside, we milk at the same time the calf is drinking. This stops the cow from holding back and it saves our hands as the volume is incredible. We're milking about three or four gallons (16 litres) at that time. We milk twice a day then. This time coincides with very fast growing grasses and legumes in our fields and the cows are moved daily. If there was a drought or other reasons for poor growth in the pastures, she would not produce as much milk at all. It's important to keep an eye on her condition. We milk off of all the teats.
As the lactation cycle progresses, the calf gets bigger, the pastures slow down, we move to once a day milking. When the calf reaches a certain size, too big to share with, we just milk first and then let the calf on. If the cow is one that holds back, we will take some milk while the calf is milking to get in on that cream.
It does wonderfully thank you so much! There is so much nuance and individuality, so much to learn by experience and feel, but I am ever grateful for your wisdom to guide me 😊
Our lovely girl this year has had a rough time, firstly it is later in the season than I would have liked as she and the other girls broke loose at the wrong time and enjoyed some bull time 🤷♀️🙄, so not the best grasses. Then she had twins and one didn't make it, then she got stuck in mud in a dam as we've had no rain. She only had the calf about a mth ago so early in her lactation but I'm assuming i am not getting much because of the stress. So I have not put too much strain or expectation on her and just giving her extra Lucerne and minerals and love.
I milked a beloved house cow for a few years in my twenties, with a young family, forty years ago now. Your beautiful writing brought a flood of memories, including the smell of her and the feel of her warm flank against my forehead in the early mornings. Thank you SO much.
How your writing can make my heart so beautifully happy, and sad for the world at the same time. Hugs precious lady
How I feel most of the time. xo
Hi Tara, I moved to a small bio-dynamic farm just six weeks ago, where I have been milking the Ladies morning and evening. This is the first time I have ever milked cows. They are only six :) My husband and I are vegetable farmers and are partnering with two other dairy and meat farmers to create a future for this gem a farm, that nourishes so many, with so much care. I find many overlaps in the philosophies of the animal husbandry here with that of which I have been able to piece together of yours. In fact, you are a huge reason as to why we made this decision to come here, and a really big influence for me, that I, as a city kid from Southern Ontario, could dream of becoming a Bovine friend (and potential worshiper...). I want to thank you for taking the time to letting us, your readers, in on the sacred and unseen sides of your life. I have felt your deep gratitude for your animals, land, and even existence, since the first instagram post I read from you many years ago...and now that I have cows of my own, your posts have even more meaning. I drink up every one of your reverent words. I find myself craving for myself the same deep meaning and reverence that I read in and between your lines. This little message to you is really just a deep, deep thank you note. I wish I could read a whole book of your insights; they are truly so inspiring for me. I look forward to what you will share next... much love to you from the Black Forest in Germany, xo Haleigh
Hi Haleigh, what a beautiful love letter you have given me. It means so much for me to have received this, to know that even if little bits of what I share bring more people home to the land, or even encourages connection to other farmers and nature, is so very meaningful for me. I am cheering you on from here and sending you and your land and your animals all much love. Big hugs to you, Tara
haha--I feel the cheers! It gives me courage!! Good to know that you feel my gratitude :)
what a lovely life story, thank you. ❤
I’m listening with tears in my eyes. This is so very beautiful and much needed today. Bless you.
A lovely reminder of the grace and peace that is still visible if we'll take the time to receive it.
Wondering if you’ve ever read THE DIRTY LIFE, Kristin Kimball, memoir. Your essays would make a beautiful book. I’d buy it in a minute.
Thank you, Louisa. I haven't read that book, but I am working on my own. Essays, just as you say :)
I feasted on this story this morning. And I so look forward to part 2 with the butter. I am so lucky because I can buy beautiful raw butter at a local co-op here in mid-coast Maine. Since I can’t eat cheese (fermented, aged, histamine intolerance), I will often eat the raw butter with a seed cracker. Yum! Nourishing!
I used to make "butter tea" for my girls when they were young. It was just raw milk gently heated with butter, cardamom, cinnamon sticks, and vanilla bean in it. I would add a little maple syrup or honey. So luscious. And I think butter on a seed cracker is one of life's great joys. :)
Oh this sounds so yummy!!
Luscious milk, yes. I will try that with my grandchildren when they visit again. I was thinking this morning of the picture of the cream on top of your milk jar. It is an insane amount of cream! So, so lovely. Industry “improvements” on what was working have not been good for us. Tinkering with wheat is another example.
You are a stunningly beautiful story teller Tara. I loved every word of this.
Thank you, Ashleigh. I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed it.
I so love the depth you can share with us in this format! The love and life of Ursula so vivid and imaginable!
So beautifully written!! As if I would be there right with you. You mention Ursula walking from the hill to the valleys and to the forest and such. Do you just let them roam over all the fields or do you implement rotational grazing? If so, how big are your fields you allow them to graze on?
They rotationally graze, but in the woods, it's not paddocks that they go in but sections of the woods. The size of the paddocks we build depends on how fast the grasses are growing and the size of the herd. It changes constantly. They are moved everyday. Thank you for the nice compliments :)
Reading this I felt like I was right there beside you and your bovine buddies. You take such beautiful photos too. The brief escape to your part of the world was much needed and appreciated - things are really quite surreal in my neck of the woods. Wishing you and everyone else here a peaceful weekend. x
Thank you, Tania. I'm glad you felt like you were coming along for the ride :)
As I read this, it’s nearly 1 am in Texas. I’m sitting in my rocking chair, with my hand pump expressing milk as my 4 month old babe is asleep and cozy in my bed. Feeling a real kinship to Ursula at the moment. I’ll be returning to bed with a happy heart. Thank you for sharing, Tara.
It's such a gift to imagine the scene you brought me into. Thank you, Kate. And what a lovely time in life you are in.
I agree, Ursula is a real beauty queen! She's lovely. Who did you breed her to? Just curious if you bred her to another Brown Swiss or went a different route. Would also love to hear your thoughts on AI if you ever cared (dared) to share!
No, she was bred to bulls. Let's see, there was a Red Poll, a Galloway, and another Red Poll. We have used AI and I would again depending on our bull situation. There is definitely a difference between a calf that came from the traditional breeding of bull to cow and one from AI, but there are times when we need to bring in AI as well. As an example, we want to breed some Speckled Park into our Red Poll gang. If I buy a quality Speckled Park bull, it's going to be around $4000-5000. I would only use him for one go around and then have to hold while I see if this breeding combination works. Hopefully, we get a nice cross out of there and I can hold the nuts on any special fella to use as a future bull. If it's an abysmal failure, no harm, no fowl. We breed our dairy to beef bulls unless we are in need for a future milk cow in which case we will AI to a purebred dairy breed. With the birth of our twin Jersey heifers, we should be okay there for awhile, but who knows what my whims will dictate tomorrow :)
So beautiful and a story I resonate with as I follow the same routine each morning with my beautiful Guernseys. I am still new to milking (my second season) so it makes me so happy to read the parallels with my way of doing things and yours and to know I am on the right track.
I worry that I am not doing right by my cows, that I don't get enough milk or cream because I am doing things wrong but I try to tell myself that the homesteaders getting gallons and gallons of milk a day are grain feeding surely? I hope you can find some time to answer some questions to calm my mind that I am not doing things wrong...
I am getting 4-5L of milk from one milking a day and I let the calf on after I have finished both sides. I am wondering if I should try something different to get more milk.
How much milk do you get each milking? Do you milk once a day? And lastly, do you only milk the one side (two teats) while the calf has the other side the whole time or do you only do that at the start to get let down happen?
Thank you so much for your wisdom, I am so appreciative of the time you take to share these insights to help others understand a different way of life. Xoxoxo
Hi Zoe,
It all depends. Where is the cow in her lactation cycle? What is her condition like? Does she look full or emaciated? How is she doing? If you milk out first and then put on the calf, you may have a cow that has figured that out and holds back her cream. They can actually do that although I don't know how. If she is further down her lactation cycle and the calf is growing, she may not have much to share.
What we do and when is dependent on where the cow is in her cycle and what's happening with the calf and the pastures. After the first few days, when her milk comes in, we milk twice a day. At that time, when the calf is easily pushed aside, we milk at the same time the calf is drinking. This stops the cow from holding back and it saves our hands as the volume is incredible. We're milking about three or four gallons (16 litres) at that time. We milk twice a day then. This time coincides with very fast growing grasses and legumes in our fields and the cows are moved daily. If there was a drought or other reasons for poor growth in the pastures, she would not produce as much milk at all. It's important to keep an eye on her condition. We milk off of all the teats.
As the lactation cycle progresses, the calf gets bigger, the pastures slow down, we move to once a day milking. When the calf reaches a certain size, too big to share with, we just milk first and then let the calf on. If the cow is one that holds back, we will take some milk while the calf is milking to get in on that cream.
Hope that helps. :)
It does wonderfully thank you so much! There is so much nuance and individuality, so much to learn by experience and feel, but I am ever grateful for your wisdom to guide me 😊
Our lovely girl this year has had a rough time, firstly it is later in the season than I would have liked as she and the other girls broke loose at the wrong time and enjoyed some bull time 🤷♀️🙄, so not the best grasses. Then she had twins and one didn't make it, then she got stuck in mud in a dam as we've had no rain. She only had the calf about a mth ago so early in her lactation but I'm assuming i am not getting much because of the stress. So I have not put too much strain or expectation on her and just giving her extra Lucerne and minerals and love.
Next season will be better 😊
I milked a beloved house cow for a few years in my twenties, with a young family, forty years ago now. Your beautiful writing brought a flood of memories, including the smell of her and the feel of her warm flank against my forehead in the early mornings. Thank you SO much.
I just love this, Sheri. I'm so glad those memories bubbled up for you.
What a beautiful read this morning! Thank you 🌻